I have been practicing

[pepgirlz]

I have been trying to work on blending and shadows etc. Did I do any better?
Thanks Jean

 

[RTContent]

This is definitely a very imaginative and creative piece, I wish I had that kind of imagination. It looks like a great start, but I would suggest you pay close attention to your light source and shadow everything accordingly. This will add depth to the image and allow things to blend nicely.

I did this quickly to show you what I mean:

 

[pepgirlz]

Oh I see! Thank you.

 

[Inkz]

Jean..

This is really nice. I love making emotional and fantasy manipulations. RT has mentioned about the lighting and shadowing. Very tricky to get right but if you take your time and plan it, you will see a better image.

 

[ibclare]

Yes, I agree. It is very lovely and the composition is excellent. The grounding of the dragon is really good, so much better, I was going to mention particularly the fall of water below the dragon and his chest, etc. on the side away from the moonlight. I expect there is a secondary source of light though. Nevertheless, it looks more like an afternoon setting as it is. Well not quite, lol, a dark, cloudy one maybe.

Very nice edit RTC.

 

[IamSam]

I also think this is an extremely nice composition! Well done! As has been stated, the lighting is a bit off but not too bad.

RTC - Your versions shadows are to dark. Be more subtle. You hit all the right places, just a little to aggressively. This is one of those times where less is more. ( I know you did it fast)

 

[ibclare]

LOL, I chickened out on saying I thought it was too dark. Maybe it's my monitor. Right. So, somewhere in the middle would be good. Like I said, I think you have to take into account a secondary light source, if not a third. You would have reflection off the water and some bounced light from the full moon, but the shadows directly from the moon would likely be longer and a bit darker. They would also have light cutting through them, but that isn't necessary to show since it would take almost mathematical calculations to get it right. Though a little fudging is rarely questioned!

An aside: I have - unfortunately - a street lamp that shines into my backyard, which became worse once they put in a brighter lamp. I said it made the yard look like there was a full moon all the time. But a few moons ago, I was out and wished I had my camera to document the shadows. The moon shadows were very bright and dark, but the streetlight cast a secondary. The intersection of the two was interesting as the light and shadow mixed to make a third shadow density. Maybe next time I'll get the photo and post it.

 

[Paul]

Love it Jean, just one ask of you....what is the dark shadow typed part to the right just below the moon?

 

[ibclare]

A cliff maybe? I hadn't focused on that. But good question. It should reflect moonlight.

 

[dv8_fx]

Nice image. And a great look to the Millenium Dragon version 2 .

 

[egosbar]

i really like the image but i dont like the dark shadow that doesnt look like anything under the moon to the right , really shows though how lighting is the key , its what i really need to start to work on now

my next project is to create something in this format

 

[pepgirlz]

Hi all! Thank you so much for all the help. i did play with it some more yesterday and this is what I did before reading all these replys. I can see what every one is talking about. After DR today I plan on playing again. Jean

 

[Fatboy73]

Quick and dirty over paint to show a somewhat correct lighting scheme for your scene. Oh and those bats are huge, I would scale them down a bit if you can.

 

[pepgirlz]

Quick and dirty over paint to show a somewhat correct lighting scheme for your scene. Oh and those bats are huge, I would scale them down a bit if you can.

That is awsome! How did you do that?

 

[egosbar]

the bats are huge but dragons arenet real so huge bats is not unbelievablein this scene it is fantasy

i dont think there is enough light on the top of the rocks imo , its a huge full moon and it would cast a lot of light and shadow , id also change the shape of the mountain in the backround to look like a mountain for some reason it really doesnt work in my opinion , but you know what they say about opinions

its a really good scene , be great if you get the lighting perfect ,

in the ops last attempt id darken the edge of the rocks that dont get light , they would be pretty dark id think, also the foreground of the dragon would be darker and the shadow would be longer , i think the last scene is too dark if you look at the water below the edge of the rocks its the same tone as the water on the top of the rocks which makes it look a little bland , id make the water on top of the rocks pop , remember its a scene not a photo so it doesnt have to look real just pleasing to the eye which is why i liked the spray lighter as well , it really draws you into the picture

 

[ibclare]

Good comments guys. Nice work there fatboy. My main comment is the water. I don't think it should be so dark. It gets the moonlight and is a source of reflected light as well. So the dragon gets to look a little too flat. The treatment of the castle is perfect, showing the way the moon rays would wrap it. Same goes for the little island. Nicely done. Here is a crude sketch of what I consider to be moonlight direction and reflective light from the water.

 

[ALB68]

Beautiful! You go girl! Some have it, some don't. You definitely do. Wish I did.

 

[Fatboy73]

I live 5 minutes away from lake Huron, trust me the water gets that dark at night no matter how big and bright the moon is. Yes there is ambient light and direct moonlight, but it mostly reflects the night sky.
As for how I did it, Just working with the jpeg, I sample the night sky color and layed that in on multiply to get the darkness and blue tones I wanted. I then sampled the moon color and layed that in with a brush on overlay where I wanted moonlight to hit.

 

[pepgirlz]

I just cant say thank you enough. I have learned so much. The encouragement is so appreciated. You have no idea.
Well anyway I worked on the psd file some more. What do you think? Thank you Jean Oh and the bats I like them this way in relation to the dragon.

 

[RTContent]

It keeps getting better and better. Good job!